Woodstock welcomes a weekend of comedy

The Town of Woodstock is famous for its multitude of cultural offerings and activities, but Chris Collins always felt that something was missing.

Brian P.J. Cronin

The Town of Woodstock is famous for its multitude of cultural offerings and activities, but Chris Collins always felt that something was missing.

"Woodstock has a number of things, but we don't have a comedy festival," Collins said. "In fact, I think it's the only kind of festival we don't have."

That's no longer true. The first Woodstock Comedy Festival kicks off tonight, bringing three days of performances, panels and screening — not to mention Dick Cavett, Bobcat Goldthwait, Mario Cantone and many others — to five venues throughout Woodstock.

For festival founder Collins, today also is the beginning of a dream come true. A retired psychology professor, he's long admired the healing powers of comedy.

"There's nothing better for your mental health than laughter," he said. The idea of bringing a comedy festival to Woodstock was something he'd been thinking about for years, but he didn't want it to be just another corporate, for-profit entity. To that end, he founded the festival as a nonprofit. All proceeds from the festival will go to Family of Woodstock's domestic violence prevention programs and the Polaris Project's efforts in the global fight against human trafficking.

Collins had no experience producing a festival, but he had two leads on people who could help him. The first was comedian Eddie Brill, who has been the talent coordinator for "Late Show With David Letterman" for 14 years.

The other was Woodstock native Josh Rubens, who now lives in New York City and works for CollegeHumor. Rubens, who performed at the Bearsville Theater as a kid and volunteered at Family of Woodstock when he was in seventh grade, loved the idea of the festival but wasn't sure that Collins knew what he was getting himself into.

"I told him to give me a call once the festival was officially happening. A year later he called me up and said 'All right, the paperwork's locked up, let's do this.'" Brill soon came onboard as well, and the three began assembling what Rubens calls "a ragtag team of producers" to make the festival a reality.

When they wrote out their wish list of performers that they wanted to appear at the Festival, Rubens put Goldthwait's name on top.

"I loved his films when I was a kid," Rubens says. "I thought he was a walking cartoon. Then he dropped off the face of the earth. But now he's resurfaced, he has a resurgent stand-up career and he's become a successful film director. I knew I wanted to hear his story."

Rubens had just seen the Dick Cavett and Mel Brooks special "Together Again," in which the two iconoclasts informally interview each other, and thought it would be fantastic to do a similar show with Goldthwait. But who would be a good foil for Goldthwait and his infamous manic energy? Brill suggested that if it was going to be patterned after the Cavett and Brooks conversations, why not just get Cavett?

Cavett may have never been to Woodstock, but he has a connection to the famous 1969 music festival that shared the town's name. The legendary talk show host taped a show just hours after the festival ended that featured many of the weekend's performers (most of whom came to his studio directly from Yasgur's farm in Bethel). Cavett couldn't attend the 1969 festival, but now he feels that by participating in the Woodstock Comedy Festival he's finally making up for it.

"My timing is way off," he said. "But at least now I'll be able to say that I went to Woodstock."

Cavett will be taking part in a panel about writing for late-night talk shows as well as sharing the stage Saturday night with Goldthwait for an evening of comedy and conversation. In addition to speaking with Cavett, Goldthwait will be screening his new film "Willow Creek" Sunday at Upstate Films Woodstock, sticking around for a Q&A.

With Cavett and Goldthwait onboard, the rest of the pieces began falling into place. Mario Cantone was so impressed by the festival's social mission that he agreed to appear pro bono. He'll be bringing his four-person band to the festival for an all-new evening of music and comedy.

Collins and Rubens are planning to make the festival an annual occurrence, but they're well aware of the fact that first they've got to make it through this one.

"You know what Steinbeck said about the best-laid plans of mice and men," Collins deadpans.

Of course, the original Woodstock festival also ran into a few minor problems of its own, and everything turned out all right in the end. What if the Woodstock Comedy Festival also got 10 times the number of expected attendees and the Thruway was backed up for miles?

"Wouldn't that be fantastic?" says Cavett. "Although, if that did happen, I wouldn't be able to get there."

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.